Worth the Risk
by Starry o.0
Summary: Previously: The Only Exception. "The only true gift is a portion of yourself." Thank you, Emerson, for those words of wisdom. Now, if you would be so kind as to take your philosophies and shove them up Sasuke's, oh so very, delic-er, disgusting!- ass..
1. Chapter 1

Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa yet another new story. I just can't seem to stop myself D: hehe. Oh well. Enjoy my loves (:

And please, reviewwwwwww.

_Italics _are flashbacks, or dreams. Although I'm sure the majority of you all are smart enough to realize this, just thought I'd give the minority a heads up :p

I hate when stories are in italics, but it's just this first part. Sorry ):

Don't own Naruto, or the song this fic is named after. (: or any lyrics, for that matter.

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_Sakura's thoughts._

_**Sasuke's thoughts.**_

**Worth the Risk  
**

_x...x...x...x_

_...and it's been a long december, and there's reason to believe  
maybe this year will be better than the last,  
i can't remember all the times i tried to tell my myself  
to hold on to these moments as they pass..._

_x...x...x...x_

Chapter One.

"_Take mine."_

_The words startled her, brought her out of the trance she'd been in for what felt like hours. Sweat was pouring down her back as the sunset bled through the sky, and she tried her hardest to ignore the fact that there was just as much blood on her as her own secretion. The green that was flowing out of her hands flickered slightly. Who was behind her?_

_The battlefield lay riddled with bodies from both sides, a thick stench of death and metal hanging in the air. _

_Pink hair fell across her face as she ignored the man talking- if he was going to kill her, he would've by now. That must mean he was on her side, and in that case could be ignored. She needed to concentrate on the boy before her to have any chance at saving him, not worry about some idiot trying to talk to her when she was clearly busy. Blood was everywhere around her, spilling out from every cut and wound that had been slashed open through Naruto's body. His chakra was completely depleted, and Sakura could feel his life slipping away underneath her green hands. How long had she been at this? _

_She didn't know. _

_It felt like a lifetime had passed since she found him laying here in the middle of the battleground, surrounded by dead enemies...dying. _

_She had tried everything- mending his organs, repairing the flesh wounds, even trying to jump-start his chakra regeneration, but none of it had worked. The blood kept coming, and his natural gift from the Nine Tails of quick healing had stopped working._

_Frustration was consuming her as she let out a small scream. Years of training- years!- and she still couldn't even save her friend's life? She was still as useless as she was as a little girl. The soft glow surrounding her hands began burning stronger, Sakura willing her strength to work and bring Naruto back to stability. He couldn't survive in this state much longer._

_The girl didn't have much time left herself._

"_Use _mine_, Sakura."_

_Realization kicked in...she knew that voice.. It had been quite a while since she had heard it, but there was no denying it; Sasuke was here. _

_Stealing the quick opportunity, she pulled her hands away from Naruto's body to turn and look at the man behind her. His back was to the sun, casting a shadow across his body so she couldn't make out his features. His black clothing was stained darker with something- blood, she knew- and his arms lay calmly at his sides. Sasuke took a step closer to her, and she could just barely make out the straight line of his nose and jaw. Fear trickled through her system._

_It was the first time in nearly, probably more than, three years that she'd seen him. After her foolish attempt at killing him, he had all but disappeared; most likely he went back to training, becoming stronger for this attack. His efforts weren't in vain. He had completely destroyed Konoha._

_Was he trying to trick her into trusting him so he could kill her and finish off Naruto or something? Why was he even here? Konoha had informed her that all the enemies had fled or been killed- so what was he doing standing behind her? He was an enemy, after all. The head of the enemies! She supposed that it was her duty to stand against him now and try to fight, but she would be foolish to do so at her strongest, much less in the state she was at now. Sakura needed all her energy for Naruto- not to waste getting killed in a short, and humiliatingly easy, battle with Sasuke._

_Sakura needed to concentrate, not think about her former team mate. There was only one thing left that could save her best friend's life, and it was a tricky jutsu. A chakra transfer. She didn't have the time to deal with the Uchiha right now; if he was going to kill her, why didn't he just get it over with?_

_Her heart hammered in her chest as she turned back to the fallen boy. Time was running out. Forgetting the danger behind her, she pressed her hands back to the blond's chest._

_The glowing green light that spread from her hands flickered a little-_ fuck!_- why hadn't she just done the transfer sooner? Instead of wasting all her time trying to repair his injuries, why hadn't she just done the chakra transfer first? She had _sensed _how weak he was- she should have_ known _the transfer was needed! Now she didn't even have enough chakra left herself to do it._

_All that training for nothing._

"_God _dammit_..." Her chakra was dangerously low. It wasn't nearly enough to do the transfer, let alone enough to keep Naruto alive. But it was worth a try..._

_It was the only thing left.._

"_Sakura, _listen to me_." Someone knelt beside her, grabbing her hand away from Naruto. Sakura snarled and turned towards the boy, glaring with the little energy she could spare. The last time they had been this close civilly, she had been a little girl. How _dare _he, after everything he had done, proof of which lie scattered and torn all around them, try to command her! _

_Why was he even talking to her?_

_He should be shoving a katana through her heart right now. _

"_Shut _up_! This is _your _fault!" Her voice cracked; the subject was too touchy for her at the moment. The last thing she needed to do right now was cry, and with her energy drained there was no way she would be able to stop the waterworks if they started. All she needed to do was save Naruto's life, not argue with this _traitor _bastar-_

_The hold on her wrist suddenly tightened as his onyx eyes met hers, and involuntarily her breath caught. _Traitor! _Was screaming through her mind, but old habits die hard..._

"_You're weak."_

_The insult brought air rushing back into her lungs. Sasuke always did know how to get under Sakura's skin; how to hit her weak spots. After all her training, all her international fame the medical business had brought her, she was still _weak _to him. Was she never enough? Did he even _notice _the years of experience she'd gained since his departure? Emerald eyes narrowed back into a glare. _

"_You can't save him with the amount of chakra you have.. You'll only kill yourself trying to do the transfer."_

"_Don't tel-"_

"_Give him mine."_

_Sakura's mouth stopped wide open. The traitor wanted to help someone other than himself? _Sasuke _wanted to sacrifice for _Naruto_? The Uchiha was suddenly pressing her hand to his open chest. "I don't have much left myself, but.."_

"_You don't have enough either." Sakura could sense it. Sasuke was just as weak as she was. The thought almost brought her pleasure._

"_Hn." His eyes held hers for a moment before dropping to the ground, his face never revealing an emotion. He kept her hand against his body, but the grip he once held was loosening._

_A long pause followed, and finally the pink-haired girl shook her head. She had actually had hope for a second..actually thought Sasuke had finally come back. She should have known he would always be the selfish bastard that had left her unconscious on that bench years ago._

"_We have enough together."_

Yes, we do, _she thought. She had just enough to finish off the transfer, and he had just enough to give to Naruto. But not enough for all three of them..._

"_You were going to work on him to your death, anyway, I suppose..." His dark eyes were back on her. Sasuke studied his childhood team mate, for it had been years since he had actually taken a look. Seemed like a lot had changed since.. Her deep green eyes looked straight back at him, something no one had done in a long time, still with that wide look of innocence she had always held, and the closest he ever came to showing anything he felt was a quick breath. Not that it meant anything to him, anyway. She nodded her head._

"_He is worth my life."_

_Something almost akin to guilt welled within Sasuke. _

"_I'm ready." He wouldn't admit that feeling though, and neither would he say something like Sakura had just done. He always was a man of few words._

_Suddenly her hand grabbed hold of his, and he hissed out in pain as she dragged the edge of a blade across his palm, then proceeded to do the same to herself. "This," she made a few hand signs before pressing her bleeding cut to his own, and chills went through his entire body, "Will make the transfer stronger."_

_For a split second, he thought he had seen those hand signs somewhere.. But soon a green hand touched his chest and brought him out of his thoughts._

"_Are you sure about this, Sasuke?" Sakura wouldn't admit it, but at this point, whether Sasuke was ready or not, she was going to do it. Naruto deserved to live, and Sasuke owed him that much. She would take the Uchiha's chakra even if he refused._

_It was strange, seeing Sasuke here next her. Hearing his voice, touching him. Seeing him show an ounce of humanity, it was all very strange. Sakura hadn't had a real conversation with the boy since he had walked through the gates all those years ago, and here he was beside her, acting as if nothing wrong had ever gone on between the two of them. As if him trying to help was completely normal or something. Had the circumstances been a little different, Sakura might be taken over by utter confusion- but now was not the time to ponder the strange actions of a boy she had never understood in the first place._

_But to her surprise, the black-haired boy nodded. The Uchiha simply kept his gaze on her face, something strange brewing inside of him. Suddenly, Sakura looked back at him, eye's bright. _

"_I..forgive you."_

Damn_, Sakura thought. She had known_ that _jutsu might have effects like this, but she hadn't meant to become this emotional. She just couldn't stop herself._

_It felt like a world had been lifted off the Uchiha's shoulders. He hadn't even known that weight had been there. "And..I.." Her voice cracked._

"_Stop." He didn't want to hear her next words, he already knew: _I love you, I've always loved you, I'll always love you_. Sasuke could read her like it was written across his face, and he didn't want to hear it. Not now, not at the end. Why waste such things at a time like this? "Do the transfer. He doesn't have time."_

_Sakura guessed she should feel hurt, and yet, staring into his bleeding red eyes, she couldn't bring herself to feel anything but the deep, childish, little Team 7 girl-love that she'd once held for him. Somehow she knew it was out of kindness he was stopping her, in his own way. He was trying to make it less painful, less of a good-bye. Things that could have been should never be talked about in the end, just accepted and put to rest. Sakura knew that. The chakra jutsu she'd performed before the transfer was simply messing with her mind, connecting her to Sasuke again in a way that she thought she had forgotten._

_Forbidden jutsu always did come with a catch. It didn't matter though- it would soon be over._

_Looking back at Naruto, she started the transfer. Sakura pulled the dark, powerful red chakra out of Sasuke and, very slowly and deliberately, pushed it through into Naruto. It was harder than she had thought it would for her be to control Sasuke's wild chakra, and he could feel her struggling to keep his chaotic nature under control as she moved it through her body. He had been expecting the procedure to be painful, yet Sasuke's body was warming by the second, and the timid green chakra that was lightly prodding at his senses put him into a strange, easy daze. He was slowly losing hold on his conscious._

_Sakura's vision was fading to black. It had taken too much energy trying to control Sasuke's chakra, she wasn't sure if she would have enough power to finish the transfer. She only needed to push herself for a little while longer..._

_Suddenly she felt something hit her from Naruto's side. Sasuke felt it too, because the slow withdrawal of his chakra turned into a frenzied pull that felt like his insides were being ripped out. He gasped out in pain as the green glow on his chest turned to blazing red. _

_Kyuubi._

_Sakura screamed as she felt the surge of energy roll into her, draining her completely of her own chakra before coursing through her to get to Sasuke's. She felt the evil that was consuming her, and she managed to gasp out, "Nine tails!"_

_The rosette heard the pained breaths Sasuke was letting out beside her as her vision completely faded. She used the last of her energy to pull her hand off of his chest before she fell to the ground, lifeless._

_Sasuke felt her hand leave his body, but it was too late. The Kyuubi had already taken too much of his life, and without the support of her arm, the Uchiha fell to the ground beside her._

_._

_x_

_._

_x_

_._

_x_

_.  
_

**Beep.**

Okay, the beeping was getting annoying. Sakura hadn't known there would be any beeping in heaven.

Or maybe she was in hell?

That might explain why she was being tortured by the sound. It made sense that she would be in hell, after all, she had killed people. Some had probably been innocent. ANBU were given names and locations, not life stories. Sometimes she had felt bad, watching as one of her victims fells dead to the ground; but the more she did it, the less she felt. It was true when people had told her it got easier. Her very first kill-mission had been given to her when she was two weeks an ANBU, and Sakura clearly remembered running all the way to Kakashi's house in complete distress over it. She had been 18.

_Loud banging rang through the house, and Kakashi heard the loud, "SENSEIIIII!" cry coming from the other side of the door. He sighed, laying his book down on the kitchen counter and calmly walking towards his door, opening it. Sakura stood at his doorstep, hair at crazy angles and cheeks red with exercise._

"_How many times have I told you that you don't need to call me that anymore, Sakura?" He mused, smiling and side stepping to let her into the apartment._

_The girl took one step in before turning on him._

"_They want me to go on an assassination." Sakura tried her hardest to suppress the water threatening to leave her eyes. "They want me to go _kill _someone, sensei. I don't even know this person, and they want me to go after him and kill him. Hunt him down like he's some kind of animal and murder him. They don't even tell you why he's going to die or what he's done, all they tell you is, 'So-and-so will be at this bar at this time our information says. Be there and eliminate him as quickly and quietly as possible.' And they expect you to go and do it. What if his only offense was pissing off one of the elders? What if the man hasn't even done anything wrong?"_

_Ah, so this is why she had come to his place._

_Somehow, he had known this would happen one day. His female student had killed on numerous occasions, but each time it had been someone who she knew deserved it; people whose story she knew, and who would surely kill her or her friends if she didn't kill them first. "Everyone goes on assassination missions, Sakura."_

"_Yes, but I'm a medic. Not a fighter. Why should I have to go? I don't want to kill him."_

_He pondered the question, which was actually a very valid one. "Even as a medic, there will be times you will have to kill to keep yourself and others alive. You've experienced this yourself."_

_She shook her head, "I don't _want _to kill anyone, though. Much less ordered to go kill. In missions when we're attacked, it's different."_

_A single tear fell from her eye, and she quickly ducked her head to hide it. She knew she was being childish about it, and sure, she'd killed people in battles before, but she had never been _ordered _to kill someone like this. All the planning that went into someones death..it freaked her out. _

_She could tell Kakashi was slightly smiling through his mask, and his hand reached out to rest on her head. "You ask 'What if this man is innocent?'. Many times, we do kill people for reasons that may not be valid, and that is a sad and shameful thing. But instead of asking that, ask yourself, 'What if this man isn't innocent?'. You killing one may save a hundred. The one time you hesitate to kill may spell the end for one of your loved ones in the future."_

How immature she had been about it; acting as if she'd never taken a life before. She had killed many people before that mission, but no kill is like an assassination kill. It's a game of predator and prey, and the game is always unmatched, either with skill or by information. The prey has no chance.

She always won. And she knew she would always win.

It made her feel inhumane.

**Beep.**

**Beep.**

**Beep.**

God, can _someone please_ turn that beeping off?

**Beep.**

It reminded her of the heart monitors used in the hospital. Those things always did get on her nerves, but working in a hospital, you came to be fond of the sound. Beeping meant that the patient hadn't died, and that was _always _a good thing. People train to become a medic to save lives; most often they are the ninja who, under normal circumstances, have more compassion and conscious than the rest. They are the ones who don't want to train to simply become strong enough to kill. In Sakura's case, she just didn't have a natural affinity for fighting. Stuck between the, arguably, two strongest ninja of their generation, she had never really given it much thought to train like they did. Even if she did become a strong fighter- she would only ever be compared to her team mates. And Sakura knew she would never live up to their strength.

So she had sought another route in her training, one that would she could call her own and not be compared by.

Thankfully, she _did_ have a natural affinity for healing.

The rosette always had had a big heart. And when she saved a life, she felt amazing. No matter how much energy she drained on a patient, and no matter how much of her life she spent in the hospital, it was all worth it when a wife, or son, or husband came to her in deep gratitude. Every year at Christmas the number of cards she received increased dramatically due to her work at the hospital.

Sakura took comfort in knowing that despite her own "family" being broken, she kept others together.

But when you're training to save lives, they never tell you how many you won't be able to save. They never warn you about patients who die on the bed as you're working over them, or who die in the night when you think you've stabilized them.

And they definitely don't tell you how it feels to have to walk out into the waiting room, and see an entire family standing there in shaky, silent hope. No one ever told Sakura how heartbreaking it is to see every face turn towards you, eyes alight with defensive expectation, because _you _were suppose to save their loved one, when you know you've failed. To tell a wife, who has been there all night waiting, that her husband's injuries were too much to mend, and have to watch her walk over to her son who is standing in the corner, looking at you with complete trust..

Sakura almost quit at the hospital the first time it happened to her.

It's always the same reaction: they go through a few seconds of utter disbelief, then the sadness washes over them, but before too long that turns into anger. Why couldn't you save him like the others? Why is he dead, and yet everyone else who comes in here gets to walk out alive?

It is always _your _fault their loved one died. They never think about how the person ended up in the hospital in the first place.

The first patient she ever lost in the hospital was a little boy. His name was Daiki Inuzuka.

_Sakura stood back in shock as the heart monitor fell to a continuous sound for the fifth time. They had been able to bring the beeping back a few times, but it just wasn't working this time. Nurses ran frantically back and forth, checking different machines and hooking new medicines into the I.V's, but Sakura was frozen in spot. The young boy laying in front of her couldn't be older than five, and was a splitting image of the young Kiba of her memory. His eyes were open and vacant, boring right into her own. He was gone._

_She had spent six hours on him. _

_He had been rushed in after he had sneaked into a training session of some shinobi in the forest outside the gates of Konoha. Apparently the ninja had heard the boy in the trees and assumed he was an enemy, and thrown several kunai in his direction. Two hit directly in his chest, and another pierced through his stomach, causing him to fall from the tree he had planned on hiding in. The guards who found him guessed he had been on a branch at least 50 feet in the air._

_The ninja responsible were no where to be found._

_It had been a slow day that day, and Sakura had just recently began working as a solitary doctor. In fact, she had only operated alone in the hospital on 11 patients so far. And yet, despite her inexperience, she was the lone doctor on call that day. It was the middle of July, and the majority of the hospital workers had decided they were long overdue for a vacation._

_When they called her into the operating room, dread took hold of her heart. _

_Daiki had severe internal bleeding from the weapons that he'd been hit with. The one had gone completely through his skin and into his stomach, one had pierced into his lung and the other one had been ripped out during his fall, causing massive amounts of bleeding. The fall had caused multiple breaks in his left arm and leg, and had shattered his shoulder and collarbone. Just one look at him, and she knew her chances of saving him were slim to none. Had it been an older patient, there might have been some hope. But this boy was just too young.._

_Six hours._

_First, she had closed up the flesh wounds to stop the bleeding. Then she began focusing on his lung, which was quickly filling with blood. It took two hours of her drawing out blood and repairing the tissue for the bleeding to finally subside; in those two hours the wound to his stomach had started to let his stomach fluids leak through his system. Sakura fixed that up as quickly as she could, and was soon starting to have some hope for the boy. All that was left to do was set the bones back in place, and keep his lung stable, and he would be good to go._

_When she started on his collar bone, the problems began._

_She had failed to check for poison in his system. Suddenly the wound is his stomach opened up again, this time even more severely than before, and a sickly purple poison started eating away at the lining of the organ. Sakura panicked. She hadn't thought of the possibility that one of the katanas had been poisoned- shinobi were suppose to only have poisoned weapons when on missions, not during training. Quickly switching from the bone back to the stomach, she forgot about the boy's lung. The poison was moving faster than Sakura could pull it out, and she was so focused on it that she failed to keep the lung from filling with blood again. _

_By the time she realized the lung needed to be cleared out, it was so full that she would have to start the healing process of it all over again. Forced to pick between the two, she opted for working on the lung quickly in hopes that the poison wouldn't get far._

_She had been wrong._

_It had worked through most of his lower organs by the time she had finished clearing the blood. That had been too much for his little body to handle. The next, and last, hour of his life was spent desperately trying to keep his heart going, despite the fact that the poison had hit the blood stream._

_And then it was too late._

_The nurses quieted down and soon came to a weary stop, all staring hopelessly at her as if she knew how to bring him back. All Sakura did was reach down and close little Kiba's eyes._

_She had failed._

_This was all her fault. Her heart felt like it was empty, like every bit of happiness she had ever felt had been ripped out from her._

_She had immediately walked out into the waiting room, where the boy's mother and father were waiting, along with a whole room full of Inuzuka's. Kiba was sitting in the back, eyes to the floor. No one had trained her for this, but she knew the protocol. _

_Actually, she didn't even know that. Was there even protocol for this? _

"_How is he doing, Miss?"_

_A young woman in front of her stepped up. Her eyes were red, Sakura could see the fresh sheen of tears across her cheeks. A man took a step next to her and rested a hand to the small of her back. His eyes lacked the tears, but held the same dread. All gazes were locked on her. She could see the shock of some at the amount of blood that was splattered across her white operating robe. She suddenly wished she had taken the time to put a new one on.._

_Sakura didn't even know what to say._

_The seconds of silence must have been a dead give away. Suddenly a new wave of sobs racked out from the woman Sakura assumed was Daiki's mother. "Is he..."_

_The woman couldn't finish. They were waiting on her, and all the rosette could think to do was shake her head, eyes not meeting the two in front of her._

"_I..I tried my hard-" he voice broke, "My hardest, but his injuries were too severe for such a young body to handle."_

_Sobs rang louder, but the family in front of her continued looking at her, as if they were expecting more. They wanted to _hear _it. Sakura hadn't known she'd been staring at Kiba until he looked up and they made eye contact. His gaze was intense. He deserved an answer, they all did._

"_I-..." Her voice was shaking, and it came out barely above a whisper. She felt horrible, because her sadness probably just made the parents and family feel even worse; she doubted they wanted her pity, "I couldn't save him. I'm so, so sorry.."_

_The woman before her fell to her knees. The man crouched next to her, where he buried his face into her neck. Kiba held her gaze for a moment before letting his head fall into his hands. Before any of the grieving family could see the tears that were quickly welling within her eyes, she turned and walked away._

Unlike killing, losing a patient never got easier the more it happened. Sakura could never shake the feeling of guilt that followed her around everywhere she went for the deaths of people at her hands. Maybe if she'd done something different, or been a little more skilled, the person wouldn't have died.

Oh yes, it was very plausible that she was in hell right now. After killing innocences, it couldn't get any worse than basically watching others die in front of her. All actions have consequences, she had been told.

**Beep.**

**Beep.**

"-vitals good, it shouldn't-"

**Beep.**

"-till she comes to."

Someone was talking in her hell? Other people had to suffer with her? That was strange. She always figured that heaven was the place where you met all your friends and family again, but hell was solitary. Then again, why shouldn't there be others in hell? Surely everyone on that battlefield she herself had died at had reasons to be in hell. They had almost surely all killed someone if they were in a battle, after all.

Panic suddenly hit her.

How could she forget the reason she was even here? Naruto!

Had that _been_ Naruto talking? Had she failed to save him? Had her stupidity of not doing the transfer sooner killed him? Oh please, God, let him have lived. And what was he doing in hell? Naruto was the purest, kindest, nicest person she had ever met in her enitre life. Whether he had killed or not, he didn't deserve to be here in hell. Sure, he was a bit of an idiot sometimes, but-

_**Heh.**_

What was that?

Sakura was sure she had heard that one this time. Someone had chuckled.

That's when she realized her eyes were closed.

* * *

hmmmmmmmmmmmmm...continue? Or is this just a piece of shit? (: reviews would be nice :D

just a warning- if I do continue this, it might be moved up to an M rating. Actually, it will definitely become M rated. Heh (: but pleaseeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... REVIEW!

-starry


	2. Chapter 2

You know, I really meant to make this a quick update. I promise. But due to an unfortunate fight I had with my..uhhh..._fantastic, loving, caring, wonderful _mother...I got my internet cut off (:

Just a reminder kiddies- moving out of your house means nothing if your mom is still paying for some of you utilities!

Blehhh -.-

That is why I haven't updated. But luckily, I found a computer to use for the time being (until the wireless comes back -.-)

I've gotta say-

I'm soooo glad that there are so many interested in this story! Though there aren't many reviews- 27 people have this on alert. It would be niceeeee if the reviews showed that, but I'm just as happy with alerts anywho :p

Sorry for the rambling, let's just get on with it (:

And, I would like to point out that, despite the first chapter seeming a bit on the dramatic and serious side, it won't be like that after we can get past this first part.

Oh yes, very important as well. Last chapter i made a reference to the manga when Sakura tried- and horribly failed, i might add, haha- to kill Sasuke recently. In this chapter, you'll see a mention of Karin still with Sasuke. So, we're going to assume Sasuke _didn't _try to kill her, and that she was still a part of Sasuke's team. Actually, let's just assume Karin was never in the whole scene where Sakura and Sasuke meet. Okay? Okay.

Oh. We're also going to assume Sakura didn't know what Sasuke's new team members looked like...though I forget if she knew that or not the the manga.

Sorry. I think this chapter sucks. Oh well. I guess all this stuff needed to be sorted out.

.

.

_Sakura's thoughts._

_**Sasuke's thoughts.**_

**Worth the Risk**

_x...x...x...x_

_...i'll be here by the ocean, just waiting,  
for proof that there's sunsets and silhouette dreams  
all my sand castles fall like the ashes of cigarettes  
and every wave drags me to sea,  
i could stand here for hours, just to ask god the question,  
"is everyone here make-believe?"..._

_x...x...x...x_

Chapter Two.

**_Heh._**

What was that?

Sakura was sure she had heard that one this time. Someone had chuckled.

That's when she realized her eyes were closed.

_._

_x_

_._

_x_

_._

_x_

_.  
_

Emerald eyes blinked open.

He watched, from his position in the far corner, as two nurses and the Hokage herself suddenly surrounded the now-awake woman laying in the hospital bed.

Every thought that was swarming through his mind was not his own, and it _annoyed _him to no end. He felt the panic, then the realization, then the confusion roll over him like it was his own. But it wasn't. It even felt foreign. But the comment about Naruto, that wasn't _too _foreign. He couldn't help but mentally chuckle at the stab on his best friend. Because, honestly, the dobe _was _an idiot.

Leave it to Sakura.

When he woke up two weeks ago, he'd known right away something wasn't right. Flashes of memories that weren't his memories would pop up in his mind's eye, feelings that weren't his feelings would pass over him. A soft, wispy voice would whisper in the back of his mind that _wasn't _his voice.

A feminine voice that sounded...

_Annoying._

Yup. He knew after one day of waking up that Sakura had fucked something up.

The only reason he was here in her white walled room right now was because Tsunade had ordered him to be with her at all times, or be under the surveillance of three ANBU.

Three!

Today they had been short on personnel though, so he had been stuck following the loud, drunk, _old _woman around.

And, like every other day he had to play tag-along, Tsunade ran a, what she called, "quick check" over Sakura. It usually resulted in him having to sit in the corner for four to five hours while the woman did some healing, stared for a long time, and then just sat there until she decided it was time to go.

It sucked.

It was also the stupidest idea ever. He had just, almost single-handedly, killed off the entire Konoha council. All of them. And the Hokage thought him safe enough to be tagging along with her everywhere? _Not _smart, at all.

Not that Sasuke was going to kill her; he was ready to be back in Konoha. He had achieved what he wanted by killing the elders responsible for his family's massacre during the battle. Now it was time to come back home and rebuild his clan, like Itachi would have wanted. Not kill the Hokage.

But still, had this not been him, it was dangerous of Tsunade to do. Even with his chakra being restricted, he could still easily kill the woman if he really wanted.

He _was _Sasuke Uchiha, after all. His lips curled up into a small smirk.

"Sakura? How are you feeling?" Tsunade's voice interrupted his thinking and drew his attention back to the bed.

Said girl blinked a few more times before sitting up, grunting and rubbing her head.

She felt like shit! "Pretty good, I think.."

Confusion was all she could feel past the stiff and tenderness of her body. She felt the bandages wrapped around her stomach- obviously someone had healed the broken ribs she'd suffered. And her muscles were weak with over-use and under-use at the same time. Her chakra felt..almost normal. But her head was killing her. Not to mention the blaring white of the hospital walls was _not _helping, with the sun shining through the open curtains.

Wait...why was she even here?

The last thing she remembered was feeling her life being all but sucked out of her own body, and the quick and powerful flow of the fox's chakra.

She should be dead.

She sure felt pretty dead.

"Miss Haruno, can you tell me how many fingers I'm holding up?" A young nurse beside her bed said, holding up four fingers. Sakura had forgotten her name, the woman was rather new at the hospital. But it was good that she had remembered protocol, and checked for any signs of delusion or concussion.

"Four."

The woman nodded and smiled. Sakura looked back at Tsunade, who was grinning like a mad woman at the end of her bed.

"About time you woke up. You had me scared for a minute there!" The blond woman laughed a little. She reached out and patted her apprentice on the foot. "You've been out for four weeks."

"_Four _weeks?" Sakura said in disbelief. That was a whole month!

"Yes. When Naruto brought you in-"

"Naruto is alive?" Sakura couldn't stop herself from asking when she heard his name.

"Yes, Naruto is alive and well..and still an idiot. He wasn't even admitted into the hospital when he arrived, but been in here everyday, you know, visiting you." Tsunade's eye crinkled a little. Naruto had been perfectly healthy when he arrived, not a scratch on him; quite a surprise considering the amount of blood his clothes were drenched in. Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for the two bodies he had rushed in.

The pinkette sighed in relief. What would she have done if Naruto hadn't survived? A shudder ran through her body; that was something she had no interest in even imagining...

But how was _she_ still alive?

**_Tch, why don't you just ask already._**

Her eyebrows furrowed. Since when had inner Sakura had such a..manly voice?

Sasuke, still unnoticed in the back corner, rolled his eyes.

"How..How am I still..well..alive?" Sakura closed her eyes, trying to remember what had happened after she collapsed, trying to remember ever seeing Naruto move, or wake up, or _anything_. But all she could recall was utter blackness. "I used my chakra to it's very last ounce in a chakra transfer on Naruto..there is no way I can be alive right now."

"Yes, when Naruto brought you here, you had no chakra of your own left..which should mean that you had died." The Hokage's eyes went hard at this, as if remembering a painful memory. "I worked on you the second you arrived, though. You still had traces of the Nine Tail's chakra flowing through your body.. It was draining quickly, because your system wasn't used to it, but it kept you alive long enough to get you back here. Well, I wouldn't exactly call it _alive_.."

Tsunade remembered how lifeless Sakura's corpse had really been. It had taken her over thirty hours to bring the young woman back to stability, and then she herself had passed out in the room for a day.

Her teacher sighed and smiled again. "Sasuke was in the same shape, though not as serious. He had a little left of his own chakra to work with."

Sakura's eyes flashed. "Sasuke?"

She had figured that he would ran off- like always- after she had fallen, because she assumed that he had enough energy to leave.

Tsunade nodded, glancing back to the corner where the boy was sitting. Sakura followed her gaze and was met with hard, emotionless onyx.

A chill went up her spine.

Why hadn't she noticed him before?

"Why are _you _here?" She snapped, a little overjoyed at the face she was able to keep her voice steady and feel no emotions for the man. He was suppose to run, suppose to be the same person forever; the avenger, the one you couldn't rely on.

The one who_ ran _anytime something might actually be good in his life. Sasuke was not suppose to come back to Konoha.

Then again, Sasuke should never have helped her, or Naruto..

The boy stayed still, face never moving at her harsh tone. Sakura couldn't see it, but she sudden felt a hint of annoyance brush at her mind...

Interesting...

"That is not the way you should great a teammate who was responsible for keeping you _and _Naruto alive," Tsunade said, with a little grimace, as she watched the mind daggers Sakura was shooting the Uchiha.

Sasuke had given her a very understandable reason for everything he had done already. She was inclined to believe him..whether he had been lying or not. Not to mention, because she could get in a lot of trouble for even thinking it, that she was actually a little bit happy the council was gone..

Tsunade never had liked those old hags..

And she knew Sakura would have a hard time accepting the boy back. She hadn't been close with Sakura when Sasuke had been on her team, but Tsunade knew the young woman had once cared so deeply for Sasuke she'd offered to betray her own country for him. Tsunade also knew that, since he'd left, Sakura had changed and grew up quite a bit. Naruto had once mentioned to her that he believed something in Sakura had closed off when Sasuke left.

Something that allowed her to love. Intimately, that is. Sakura felt betrayed, not good enough, heartbroken. Though she would never let anyone know it now. She covered it up well wit her charades of wanting to capture him and make him come home..

But, she also knew, no matter how much her student believed she had moved away from that part of her life, that this Uchiha boy was a lot closer to her in her mind than she wished to show.

"He is _not _my teammate. He is the one responsible for the battle, Tsunade! How could you even _allow _him outside the jail? He is the reason our shinobi are dead."

Sakura's hard voice broke off, mouth dragged up in a look of disgust and still glaring at the corner.

"He should be sentenced to treason... and _death_!" She spat venomously.

Sakura narrowed her eyes a little more when the side of the boy's mouth twitch up in a mocking smirk.

How long had she waited for this moment? Sasuke was back, and right in front of her- what her entire life had revolved around for the past many years. Her feelings of love were gone, they had dissipated years ago, but she still harbored the longing of wanting him back. Back with Team 7, back to childhood memories, but mostly back for Naruto's sake. And, she thought, maybe if he was back, she could move on with her life.

Then, two years ago, it had happened.

The first time forces had tried attacking Konoha. Sasuke hadn't been with them that time, and the force was so weak it left everyone wondering if it had been an actual attempt, or just a scouting mission to see Konoha's strength. No one knew who was trying to attack them, or why. It had been a quick slaughter of the enemies.

Sakura had been in the front lines, though off in the forest detached from the main body of ninja. She was searching for anyone who might have tried to breach the city through the outskirts. It was there she had met Karin.

The redhead had immediately began her assault, and she was strong. But Sakura was easily stronger, and could tell this girl wasn't usually the one in the battles. So, being the medic-minded girl she was, Sakura decided that instead of killing this woman, she would offer an exchange of her life for information.

That's when she had learned Information Point #1: Do not ever, and I repeat, _ever_, try giving Karin a pity exchange.

It will not go over well.

So, once Sakura had beat the girl to a bloody pulp, she redhead finally wanted to screech out something of use.

Information Point #2: Karin's name. Through some tactful words on her part, Sakura had managed to get the bitch to cuss and moan and eventually say, "You pinky bitch, you think you're so much better than me, huh? Yeah, wait until you meet Karin again. You just wait, pinky." Which led her to the biggest discovery of all:

Point #3: That meant Sasuke was behind the attack if Karin was there.

The only people who knew this information were Tsunade and Naruto. Sakura had kept her mouth shut about it after that, and decided that Sasuke had truly and finally lost his soul, and his damn mind. Talking about attacking your village, and actually doing it, were two different things. And Sasuke had just moved up to a whole new level of crazy and out of control. He wanted to destroy her family, friends, life, and home?

Well, then, she wanted to destroy _him_. And now she was serious.

And yet, deep down, she still _longed _for him...and his return...

But the second time he attacked Konoha, and was actually part of the battle, she was finally able to feel the disgust. Hatred boiled through her veins, spilling out across her body as she watched friends fall during the first wave, and walked past bloodied bodies whose faces looked familiar when she was called back to the hospital sometime after the second day. The battle was long, over a consecutive week, and Madara had a seeming endless supply of shinobi that continued attacking.

They were all weak. All sentenced to die by the knowing Uchiha. But Konoha was weakening with every day the war dragged on, and all he needed to do was wait.

And while she headed the hospital, a steady stream of ninja coming in every minute, she worked over countless corpses with surnames of her closest friends. Familiar faces that will haunt her dreams forever, now, no doubt. The worst moment of her life was when she was walking into a room and glanced at a bed being rushed by her headed for the morgue.

Long, platinum blond and shiny hair was flowing out of the covering blanket and whipping through the air behind it.

Her heart had come to a complete stop for a full three minutes. It wasn't until the nurse who had been pushing the bed returned, and Sakura demanded to know who that had been, that she found out it wasn't Ino.

But it was her younger cousin.

It was all his fault, all the death and destruction, and Tsunade was allowing him to walk around the streets of the city? _With _her?

"Are you stupid, Tsunade?"

It slipped from her mouth as soon as it shot through her brain. Golden eyes narrowed at the young woman.

"I may ignore that comment and blame it on the coma."

A faint blush reddened across Sakura's cheeks as she bowed her head respectfully, "Sorry, Hokage."

Tsunade nodded, motioning for the two nurses still in the room to leave. Once they had left, the older woman took a seat beside her student. She was, despite maybe not showing it, overjoyed at the fact that the girl she viewed as close as a daughter was finally awake.

But there was a problem.

Sakura should not be alive right now.

Naruto had brought both Sakura and Sasuke into the hospital that night, one slung over each shoulder and both unconscious. He had told Tsunade the story, said the Nine Tails had taken advantage for a split second of Naruto's weakened state before he truly gained consciousness. He hadn't been sure how long they had been out, but he knew it hadn't been too long.

The second Tsunade had touched her student, she knew something was wrong. She hadn't been sure at first, but there was something in the young medic's system that just didn't seem right. Yes, it was true that the little traces of the fox's chakra had been enough to keep Sakura's vital systems running until she reached the hospital.

But something was off, something that had made the girl's body stronger than it should be...

Maybe it was the way Sakura's normally light green chakra began tinting a blood red color in places during operation..

Or the way her body seemed to recover much more quickly once Sasuke had woken up..

Maybe it was the way the Uchiha boy's chakra had felt oddly familiar at times when he began following her around.

But at some point since Sasuke's return, Tsunade began getting a strange feeling in the pit of her stomach that something wasn't right.

The Hokage looked questioningly at Sakura, brows furrowing. "You healed Naruto's body completely, _and _did a transfer?"

The pinkette dipped her head down slightly, agreeing with her words.

"His wounds must not have been too severe then. You didn't have much chakra when you left the hospital to find him. Surely not enough to repair anything major _and _have enough for a transfer."

"He had..a few major injuries."

Somehow, Sakura knew what her teacher was trying to get at, so she began choosing her words carefully. Naruto had, in actuality, been in the worse shape of any patient she had ever worked on. Even the dead ones.

"Sasuke helped me with the transfer, so I wasn't using my own chakra." She offered quickly.

Tsunade nodded, eyes never leaving the now deadpanned face of her apprentice. "You helped, Uchiha?"

"Hn." He sounded completely uninterested. But once again, Sakura felt a wave of curiosity rush over her, that she definitely had not been feeling...

"Why? Why help former teammates after you've just attacked their homeland?"

"Why not?" **_Tch, stupid woman.._**

Sakura's eyes went as big as saucepans, as she turned to look at the boy in the corner. That voice in her head- it was _his.._

His dark orbs flashed into hers, narrowing into a glare at her realization.

This didn't go unnoticed by Tsunade, but she decided not to bring it up quite yet. "You may have a superiority complex, Uchiha, but you _will _remember my position while you are back in _my _town, and under _my _watch. So would you like to reword that answer?"

Sasuke moved his glare from Sakura to the older woman. "I accomplished my goal by destroying the council. I had no more vengeance against Konoha or it's ninja. I have already explained this to you"

"So, you want me to believe you were being a.. _helpful hand_, Sasuke?" Tsunade chuckled under her breath. "For some reason, I just can't seem to believe that."

The room was silent for a while.

"Hn."

Tsunade rolled her eyes, feeling the irritation rise. "I've spent too much time with this man, and so I'm going to cut to the chase before I physically attack him." She looked straight into the guilty green eyes, "Sakura, what did Sasuke do to you?"

Shock flashed across the girl's orbs, and a snort could be heard from the corner. "What did _I _do to _her_?"

The Hokage stood and began pacing, eyes to the ground as she tried explaining herself. "I noticed it as soon as you two came in. Your chakras- they seem to be.. I wouldn't call it mixed, but definitely contaminated with one another. And the connection made both of your system's stronger than it normally should be. And the healthier you were, Uchiha, the healthier Sakura became. I've seen this type of thing, and I know what it can be used for, which is why I _know _it was you, Sasuke."

A look of pure indignation shot across the accused face. "I didn't do _shit _but save her _pathetic_, _weak _ass!"

Sakura turned to glare at him again, letting out a small scream, "_Excuse _you? You didn't save _anyone_! I could have done it _without you_, you fucking traitor! How dare you even speak to me like that!"

"Hey now, calm-" Tsunade's vain, and a little bit scared, efforts were shut down.

"Hn." Sasuke wasn't even looking at Sakura, choosing instead that the tree outside the window was much more interesting. This infuriated Sakura even more.

"Oh, what, you think you're a fucking _God_ now? Congratulations, Sasuke, my God, oh _great_ one! You successfully destroyed half the families of Konoha! Are you happy now? Happy that people _understand _you now? Glad that little kids can be just as fucked up as you are?"

Pure anger washed over her, more intense than anything she had ever felt, when his blazing red eyes snapped back to her. His nostrils flared.

"Maybe tomorrow night, if you watch the gates, a little boy may walk out, seeking vengeance and power because you _massacred _his whole family."

Wheels began spinning in his eyes as Sakura felt the boiling waters of his infuriation tickling her mind.

_Oh, sorry, did I hit a button?_ Sakura plastered a sickly sweet smile on her face, victory bells ringing in her mind.

**_Fuck you._**

It was as clear as if he had said it out loud. Once again, a chill racked itself across her spine and into her veins until she dropped his gaze.

It felt so nice to vent.

And she would ignore the twinge of guilt, because that jackass deserved every word she had just spoken.

"Sakura did it."

Tsunade, still slightly shocked from the outrage seconds before, turned to look questioningly at Sasuke.

"What?"

Eyes still the color of blood, he glared at the woman on the hospital bed. "She did it."

Sure, it was petty of him to tattle. But he would not be taking anymore of the blame for anything, and that annoying girl would _not _disrespect him, or his family like that. Because she didn't know a damn thing about him, or his life, or his choices.

Just like she always hadn't.

Sakura closed her eyes and laid back down in her bed. Now it was time to deal with the consequences of _not _dying, like she had planned on doing..

"What did you do, Sakura?"

The tone of her teacher held authority, but slight hesitation. What was the right way to word this?

"I'm..not exactly sure." And she was being honest.

Silence met her, which meant that both bodies in the room were waiting for more of an explanation than that. Sakura sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she began recalling her memory.

"I was in the library one day last year, in the Hokage building, trying to read about chakra transfer jutsu because I'd just done one in the hospital that had failed miserably. The patient lived, but I knew I needed to fix something in case the transfer was vital at some point."

Tsunade nodded understandingly. Transfers, especially major ones, were often difficult to do right.

"So I was looking through the isles, and I found this scroll...Now, I don't want to lie and say I had no idea, because I knew it was a forbidden jutsu from the black paper it was written on; but I swear to you, I never planned on using it. I was curious to see what it said, because I'd never really learned something forbidden. I wanted to see if the seals were different or something."

Ah yes, Tsunade knew exactly where this was going.

"So I opened it, and I read it, and I noticed the seals were pretty easy. It wasn't like I _meant _to memorize them or anything, it just kind of stuck in my memory. It didn't have a name on it, but the scroll said that by doing this before a transfer with someone else, you connect your chakras and make both of them stronger, and the strong bond makes the transfer ten times more potent. It said, if both participants were strong enough, the bond could successfully bring back someone who was dead."

Sakura glanced at Tsunade, hoping she wasn't going to get into trouble. "I thought Naruto was pretty close to dead..and I was pretty low on chakra. I thought I was going to die regardless, but all I wanted was to give Naruto a chance. So I did the jutsu on Sasuke, to make the transfer stronger. I didn't think it would matter whether I did it or not, because I'd be dead.."

Ah, now Sasuke understood why he had recognized those seals, and why Tsunade thought he was responsible. That jutsu was used in body transfers as well. It was one Orochimaru had often used, and planned to use on him.

"You _do_ realize what this means, right, Sakura?" Tsunade asked, an amused glint in her eye that shocked and scared Sakura at the same time, who just shook her head.

"That I'm...in trouble?"

Her teacher laughed, loud and long, "Oh no, I'm not going to punish you... This jutsu will do enough punishing by itself."

_._

_x_

_._

_x_

_._

_x_

_.  
_

Ino was laughing the same loud and obnoxious laugh Tsunade had.

Sakura rolled her eyes, falling back onto Ino's king sized bed. Her pale blue comforter fluffed up around her as she focused her orbs onto the white ceiling, trying to ignore the girl to the right of her in the room, sitting on a vanity seat and fixing her make-up in a mirror.

Sakura had made her way to her best friend's house after a quick visit to Naruto. She would've liked to spend a little more time with him, but he was readying for another mission already. Needless to say, in the short ten minutes they had had together, Naruto had thanked her and apologized to her enough times to sink a ship. And the amount of tears shed between them had to be unhealthy to the system.

She had simply thanked him for surviving.

Ino's shrill voice brought her out of her reverie. "So you're like, _bonded _to Sasuke? You do realize how weird that sounds, don't you?" Another fit of giggles.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I _realized _how weird that sounds a long time ago, Pig." Sakura let out an irritated sigh. If her friend was going to keep on about this, she was going to leave. Screw not seeing her in a month. Screw being worried about her and the battle.

She was obviously normal...for Ino.

"So you can read his mind and stuff?" The blond had on a thoughtful look now. "That could actually be kind of helpful.." Another pause, before Ino struck her friend was a knowing smirk. "I bet you did it on purpose."

"I would purposefully fuse my mind to a _rock_ before Sasuke.. He's a traitor." Sakura added, angry at the accusation. She sat back up cross legged, watching as Ino applied yet _another _coat of thick, black mascara to her eyelashes- which were already threatening to touch her eyebrows.

Okay, that was an exaggeration. They looked good.

Why couldn't _hers _look that good? A hint of jealousy flushed through her body, followed by a foreign shadow of curiosity and amusement. Sakura growled at the intrusion, forcing the mind block back up. She'd forgotten about it for a second there..

"Anyway, it doesn't even matter. Tsunade said that as long as we can keep our chakra controlled and our minds blocked- like the training we did for ANBU when we tried keeping mind readers out- we won't be able to...uh..._feel _each other."

Another chuckle. Sakura glared, giving up.

It wasn't a big deal. It was easy to control. There would be no problem.

"Whatever you say, Forehead." Ino spun around in her chair, smiling her full and plump red lips, "Now, you stay right there while I go find you something to wear. We are going out- _no arguing!_" She scolded, seeing the scowl crawling over Sakura's features. "You have been MIA for the past month, and now it's time to have fun with your best friend!"

Ino jumped up, clapping, and ran into her closet while Sakura closed her eyes and fell back onto the bed again. Irritation prodded her mind, and she growled under her breath, again forcing the connection to be blocked.

Yup, no problem. She had this completely under control.

* * *

I know. This was so boring.

I was bored even writing it. Hahah ):

-starry


	3. Chapter 3

Guesssss who finally paid their own internet bill? :D hehe.

Now, I'll just have to work around college and work and such, and I'll be on my way to finishing this fic!

Once again, thanks to all the reviewers. I love reading all of them!

I'm not going to edit this chapter yes, so if you see any pressing mistakes pleaseeee tell me.

**NOTE: **I can't remember why I made this fic T haha. I'm pretty sure there's going to be a lemon later, so this is just a warning that this is most likely going to get changed to M. I don't know why I didn't do it at first...

I guess to make this easier, I should tell you.

_Sakura's thoughts._

_**Sasuke's thoughts.**_

Though, it won't happen much. They're trying _not_ to hear each other, remember (:

**Worth the Risk**

_x...x...x...x  
late nights won't do me justice  
cause when i drink i.. just get so damn depressed,  
and its not like i ain't trying to get over you,  
it's just hard to look at all the seasons pass me over too...  
x...x...x...x_

Chapter Three.

Maybe she should have stopped two shots ago.

"CHEERS!"

Everyone around the bar lifted their shot glass up and tipped their heads back, letting the sour liquid fall back down their throats. Sakura slammed her empty glass on the table first, laughing when Ino's face squeezed together due to the alcohol.

Okay, she should have stopped_ three _shots ago.

Bunches of men had crowded around her and Ino the second they had approached the bar, buying them shot after shot. The club was filled tonight, something Ino said was happening a lot ever since the battle. Sakura figured it was an easy way for everyone to escape the mess that was outside. Konoha was still in the process of being rebuilt, though Ino insisted it was ten times better than it had been the first day. The same thing couldn't be said for the citizens. No one had been left untouched in the fight, families and friends were dead or left forever injured. Ino had lost Choji- something she wasn't showing, but Sakura knew it was only a matter of time before the girl broke down.

But at this point in the night, a good six shots in, her face felt like it was stuck in a smile and she wasn't concerned about any of this. A new song came on that made her squeal with delight, something that might make her cringe at the memory the next morning. Carefully, ignoring all the men around offering to help her up, she stood from her stool and walked up to Ino, grabbing the blond's hand.

"Ino-_pigggggg_, I want to _danceee_!"

Ino stood up, adjusting her obnoxiously short pale blue mini dress, her face in an equally idiotic grin as the two friends stumbled to the dance floor. Sakura tried to look around and make out some recognizable faces, but for some reason she had a quickly fading suspicion that Naruto could be standing next to her right now and she wouldn't notice. Her pink, lacy high-heels were making her legs a bit wobbly and the tight black sweetheart dress was a bit too short for her to afford falling.

Sounds and lights were surrounding her, and Ino was somewhere close to her, but none of that was registering much. She swayed her hips, eyes closed, letting her body move as it wished to the rhythmic bass. It had been a while since she had just.._let go_. Her mind wandered, but not too far. In liquor was blocking most of the memories, but images flooded her mind nonetheless; pictures of younger days, smiling with Team 7 and Sasuke. Back when things were normal, when he was just a boy and she was just a girl. When he wasn't as dark, and she wasn't as hollow. She'd never admit it, but Sasuke leaving had scarred Sakura for life; she really had loved him, truly. When he left, he took a part of her that would forever be missing, something that had made her life seem empty and nearly meaningless ever since.

Losing Naruto would have been the death of her.

But it had been so many years of heartache and betrayal, that emptiness Sasuke had left in her slowly hardened into agitation, resentment, and eventually hate.

Warm hands wove around her hips, wiping her mind of those thoughts, and a whisper was just beside Sakura's ear. "Sakura."

Her body warmed at the deep tone and human contact, and though she didn't know who the person was, she found herself leaning back into his body. Unconsciously, she pressed her butt harder against his groin, grinding a bit, and pleasure racked her when the fingers on her tightened, though she wasn't sure why they seemed to be pushing her away at the same time. Her arms reached back, locking around the boy's neck as she rolled her hips. The beat grew faster, and suddenly Sakura had the urge to be daring- she dropped her arms, bringing her hands to her knees to balance and dancing even dirtier than she ever would imagine she could.

A flash of anger rolled over her, momentarily shocking her brain out of it's drunken stupor; she stopped dancing, back straightening and eyes flashing around the bar. Where had that come from? A warning, perhaps?

The man behind her noticed, hands dropping from her sides.

"What's wrong?"

She shook her head, pink hair following her movements. "Nothing, just-" She turned around and her mouth dropped open. "_Naruto?_"

He grinned sheepishly. He had on an orange shirt- typical- and a pair of loose jeans.

She slapped his arm playfully, "Are you trying to take advantage of me?"

"Of course not!" He yelled, as if he thought she was being serious. "I was actually going to dance with Ino first, but that lazy bastard got to her." Sure enough, Behind Naruto was Ino, hands on the floor and ass in Shikamaru's crotch.

Sakura scoffed, though mostly at her friend's slutty antics, "Well, thanks."

"Aw, come on! You look good too, I would've tried dancing with you first, but teme over there-"

The pinkette whipped her head around, searching the booths for the Uchiha. "Sasuke's here?" She still felt the anger licking at her mind, but it had dulled quite a bit.

"Yup!" He grinned like a child, "I actually got that bastard to come out and socialize like a human being!"

Sakura chuckled, giving up her search. "How did you manage that?"

"Well, he's under ANBU watch until Tsunade thinks it's safe for him to be alone. I just _happened_ to request to be the one to watch him tonight!"

"You requested to bring him here under your supervision?"

"Yup!"

She glanced around once more, hoping to run across him..not that she wanted to see him or anything. No way. She just wanted to see the sight of Sasuke Uchiha in a bar. Because she was _over_ him; too long had she wasted her time waiting for that man, too long had she cried herself to sleep at night, too long had she waited.

_I am _over_ him._

_**Tch.**_

Her brows rose in surprise at the intrusion, glancing at the far back corner. There he was, empty onyx eyes on her, sipping on his drink and raising an eyebrow at her gaze. Sakura smirked, giving him the finger before turning away while furiously trying to keep the heat rising in her body down at the thought of his eyes on her. He didn't respond, but she felt him block her mind out of his. What an ignorant asshole. If he was going to sit in the corner sulking not even attempting to have fun, he should have just told Naruto to leave already.

"Looks like he's having fun."

Naruto glanced at his friend worriedly. "Maybe I should take him home.."

Just then, the song ended and Ino stumbled over to them, draping an arm around Sakura's shoulders. "Forehead! Mind if I s..s-steal foxy for a dance?" The blond gave Naruto what Sakura supposed Ino thought was a seductive gaze, but looked more like a constipated face to the pinkette. Naruto fell for it apparently, a smile flashing across his face.

He suddenly seemed to remember something, frowning and looking at Sakura, "You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not!" She laughed, watching Ino grab Naruto's hand excitedly and leading him off further on to the dance floor.

She stood for a few seconds alone, awkwardly trying to decide what she should do. Her intoxication had worn off from the emotional shock, so perhaps it was time to take a few more shots? Yes, that was a good idea.

She made her way back to her seat at the bar, glad to see most of the men that had been there were gone by now. The man at the bar nodded at her, signaling for her to wait a moment as he mixed a drink for a couple at the end of the table. Someone slid in to the seat next to her, but Sakura ignored it. She could smell him, and though he smelled good, she wasn't in the mood to fend off a flirting man at the moment. The bartender came over, flashing his perfectly white teeth. He was tan, with sandy-blond hair and dull green eyes, with a white collar shirt that had the first four buttons undone.

Sakura supposed he was cute but..he wasn't her type. Plus, he looked young. Really young. Was he even old enough to be selling alcohol?

"What can I get for you, cutie?"

Sakura smiled, not failing to notice the brush of pink on the boy's cheeks at her action. "Jager bomb, please, umm..?"

He nodded, turning around to his liquor shelves. "Jun," He looked back over his shoulder, smiling, "Not holding back tonight, are you?" He pulled out a can of redbull from a mini fridge below the counter. "And for you, sir?"

"Nothing."

Sakura's head snapped to her right, eyes narrowing. Sasuke sat beside her, head resting lazily on his palm. He glanced back, holding her gaze. Neither looked away, but greens orbs were slitted into a glare by the time the bartender set her shot in front of her. A smirk crossed the Uchiha's face, his aristocratic features darkened by the low light of the club.

"Can you handle another shot?"

Sakura scoffed and without another thought threw the drink back. Smiling in satisfaction at the slight buzz already returning in her mind, she smiled triumphantly at Sasuke.

"Says the man who didn't even order one."

A sense of challenge washed over her, and Sakura wasn't sure if it was her emotion or his, but at that moment his hand shot up, motioning the drink mixer over. "Can I get a double Kamikaze?"

The man on the other side nodded, turning to grab the vodka and Triple Sec. Sakura just rolled her eyes at his attempt to act macho.

"I'm already seven in, Sasuke. You're still a pussy."

The bartender turned, setting the tall double shot glass in front of Sasuke. The boy picked it up, "Can I get three more?" Jun nodded, and Sasuke held Sakura's gaze as he took the shot. Sakura found herself feeling a bit heated, but she figured it was only the alcohol. Another shot was put before the Uchiha, and he took it without showing any discomfort.

"Show off.." Sakura mumbled under her breath, watching as he finished the last two. She watched the way his neck flexed when his head fell back, and the way his dark hair feel away from his face. She watched his Adam's apple bob as the drink went down, and how his tongue shot out across his lips when he was done. Things she shouldn't really be watching..

He caught her gaze, smirking. His eyes showed more emotion than usual, and they were gleaming with satisfaction and amusement. Sakura stuck her tongue out. "Jun, can I get a lemon drop?"

"Anything for the lady," He said coyly, winking.

Sasuke found that his eyes were narrowing at the young boy of their own accord, because he really couldn't care in the least bit what he was trying to do with Sakura. Ah, dumb liquor. He quickly switched back to his blank face. He had only come over here to talk about their.._situation. _If she hadn't began that stupid challenge, he wouldn't have that slight buzz in the back of his head.

"Are you already out, Sasuke-_kun_?" She asked, sarcasm rolling heavy off her words.

"Hn. Two more doubles."

Sakura licked the sugar off her wrist, taking the shot and sucking on the lemon. Sasuke spared her a glance as he downed his two shots, leaving both looking challengingly at the other.

Sakura could feel the fuzziness of his mind. She wondered if he could feel hers, too. This bond was pretty weird; it made her feel connected almost..intimately. She looked the boy over, he was in a black collared shirt, one that hung deliciously snug across his shoulders and chest and a pair of dark jeans. His skin was flawlessly porcelain, his cheekbones high and his eyes a dark contrast to his skin. His lips curved in to a smirk, and he arched a perfectly elegant eyebrow. His dark hair lay in perfectly messy bangs framing his face, a bit spiked in the back as always.

Sasuke was as gorgeous as ever, she realized. Even more so with age.

And Sakura was sure if he turned around there would be the Uchiha symbol on his back.

How many times had _she _wished to wear that symbol?

_**Keep wishing.**_

His smirk disappeared, and the girl growled with irritation. "Asshole."

"Aa."

Sakura wondered what he was thinking about her. Did he think she was pretty? Did he think she'd grown beautiful through the years? Why couldn't she hear what he was thinking, like he could obviously hear her? Did he think this dress looked nice on her? That her legs looked good in these heels? Her hair looked perfectly curled? Her curves seductive? Her eyes enticing?

Could he hear her right now?

His face gave away nothing if he could. Some things never change.

But his eyes sparked with something Sakura couldn't quite name for a fleeting second that had her wondering if perhaps Sasuke had..

No time to think about such things now. "Already out, traitor?"

Irritation flamed off of him at the name. "No."

"Let's see who falls first."

"You."

"What did you say?"

"Hn."

"Douche! You will lose! Jun- two lemon drops!" Sakura pounded her fist against the table, cracking it. Yup, she was tipsy. Possibly verging on drunk.

But so was Sasuke. He hadn't drank in quite a while like this, and he'd just taken 12 shots in less than twenty minutes. His mind was wandering more than he would like, and he found himself watching Sakura a few seconds longer than he normally would. He watched as she stood, banging her fists and the bartender. Glanced down at her ass, because the tiny black dress was hugging it so nicely. And for some odd reason, he found himself thinking Sakura was..

No.

Forget that thought.

Alcohol could make the ugliest girl in the world look.._decent_. But the way her pink hair was curled perfectly at the ends, and the way her heels matched so precisely with it, and how her legs looked long and luscious, and her curves so womanly, and the way her lips moved when she spoke, the way her green eyes sparked with interest when he caught them, something about Sakura was tugging at him. He blamed the damned jutsu. Never would he have looked at this annoying woman like this before.

She pushed the shot of vodka towards him, stopping his train of thought. His eyes dragged up her tanned arms, across her bare shoulders, to her moist lips before finally reaching her eyes. Sasuke gave her a lazy smirk.

"Lemon drops are for women."

"Aa- pussy?"

Sakura's insides pooled with heat when Sasuke licked the top of his hand, dashing sugar there before licking it off and taking the shot, grabbing the lemon slice from her hand and sucking on it. Her face flushed.

Blame it on the a-a-ah-a-alcohol.

Sasuke was done. Yup, he was beyond tipsy. So when he grabbed Sakura's hand before she took her shot, and he licked the sugar off the inside of her wrist, locking her green pools with his own as he dragged his tongue across her warm skin, he wasn't exactly surprised..because he was drunk. And when he kept the eye contact, smirking as he took her shot, he didn't mind. And when he brought her other hand to his mouth, the one still holding the lemon slice, he couldn't blame himself from sucking the juices out, right from her fingertips, touching them slightly with his lips. It did catch him in surprise the way Sakura's eyes seemed to darken, and her cheeks flushed red. It especially got him when the cloud of arousal rolled off her mind on to his.

Especially when he felt the urge to _act _on that passion, one he was having a hard time deciphering from his own emotions. Was it his? Was It both of theirs?

He didn't know what he was doing. He was drunk.

And he _didn't _like Sakura at all, never had. But she was, at this moment in time, the most appealing woman he had ever seen.

But only because he was drunk.

So he was glad when Ino chose that time to interrupt, walking up to Sakura and dragging her away towards the door, saying it was time to leave. Because he was only _drunk_, and if this night had continued, he didn't want to think about the regrets he would have had in the morning. It was _Sakura_ for Christ's sake. The most annoying woman on the face of the planet, and not in the least bit attractive. In fact, had he not been put on the same team with her all those years ago, he would have never spoken a word to the awful female.

And for those facts, yes, he was grateful Ino had taken that girl away.

He was much too intoxicated to be dealing with the one that could give him all her weird emotions. Because he wouldn't feel anything if it wasn't for her own feelings rubbing off on him.

Yes.

It was all because he was drunk.

That was definitely it.

_._

_x_

_._

_x_

_._

_x_

_._

The next morning, Sasuke woke with a throbbing headache and a masked ANBU leaning against his door frame, arms crossed expectantly. Not moving from his position under the covers, the Uchiha growled out, "_What?_"

He heard the masked man chuckle. "You're making me jealous."

Shikamaru. They sent Shikamaru to babysit him? This lazy bastard wouldn't even try to stop him if Sasuke decided to do something. He winced at a particular painful throb, deciding it was best to sleep this off rather than trying to go about his day- since he never did anything on ANBU arrest anyway.

"We've got some things to do, so I suggest you get up soon," Shikamaru said, yawning and walking away from the door. He called back from down the hallway a few seconds later, "I'll have to bring Naruto in here if you aren't up in the next few minutes."

Sasuke growled. The last thing he wanted was Naruto yelling at him this early in the morning, with this bad of a hangover. Closing his eyes, he managed to push himself off the bed and pull some clothes on without feeling too dizzy. Though, when he stuck his toothbrush in his mouth, he about gagged.

Last night's events were a bit hazy..he remembered sitting next to Sakura, in hopes of telling her he was going to stay as far away as possible from her, and he would advise her to do the same; it was the easiest way to stop this connection, because the closer they were the stronger it became. Instead she had challenged him, pretending she had a higher tolerance than he.

Ha.

That's a good joke.

After the first round of double shots his memories seemed to be selective though.

He had an odd feeling he had.._ licked _Sakura..but that couldn't be true.

Shikamaru was outside his bedroom again. "Ready?"

Sasuke splashed some water on his face, trying to ignore the fact his head was being split open with a dull axe. He followed the man outside, never trying to start a conversation, and happy the other man was as content as he in the silence. Some of the people they had watching him insisted on talking about random shit with him, things he couldn't care less about. Especially when they were girls. Usually the ANBU switched off every couple hours, though occasionally he would have to stay with Tsunade still.

Sasuke wasn't sure where they were walking until he saw the clearing with the memorial stone.

Shikamaru walked right up to it, stuffing his hands in his pockets and staring at it. Sasuke stayed back, leaning against a tree. He waited a few minutes, but Shikamaru made no move to leave, or explain to him why they were there, so the Uchiha closed his eyes because the sun was making his headache worse, and hoping to get a quick snooze while he had to wait here.

"Choji died," the ANBU finally said, back still to Sasuke.

He didn't answer. Sasuke had a feeling where this was going.

A few moments passed before Shikamaru spoke again. "Died on the last day of the battle. Got caught in the mass headed for Naruto."

"Aa."

Sasuke knew most of the top ninja had been killed in that one assault. He himself had been there, though not on the side one would have thought. By that time, all the elders were dead. He had came back to fight, only against Madara this time like Itachi would have wanted. Naruto was fighting the other Uchiha, but many others were attacking the blond at the same time. The strongest ones. Some of the Leaf Ninjas had tried taking out these people, only to be killed from behind. It was a dirty battle.

Somehow Naruto fended all of them off, managing to solely focus on Madara. Sasuke had seen. In fact, Sasuke had helped.

"I blame you."

It was a simple statement. One that caught Sasuke off-guard, but didn't exactly make him feel bad. He simply stared at the rock, "I wasn't the one who killed him."

"No, you didn't kill him," Shikamaru looked towards the sky, "But it is you who is responsible."

Perhaps it was his fault.

Or perhaps the leaders of Konoha had brought this upon themselves. Or, had his clan brought this upon Konoha?

"Hn."

The ANBU turned, hands still in his pockets. "Do you not feel guilty, or regretful?"

"I don't regret what I did."

It was silent. "Do you regret the situations surrounding your choices?"

Sasuke thought, impressed at how easily this man could twist words around. Not many people made Sasuke critically think. Choji had been quite nice, actually. Quiet. Not annoying. He hadn't been too bad.

"I don't regret anything I have done."

Onyx eyes narrowed, and he suddenly wished he could see Shikamaru's expression. "I...regret that it was the path I was forced to take."

A breeze passed between them. Shikamaru watched the Uchiha from behind his mask; the boy was as stoic and unemotional as ever. Yet, Sasuke's answer seemed to ease the pain on his heart. The boy hadn't said it, but it was clear enough for anyone who was accustomed to Uchiha language: "I'm sorry your friend died because of my quest of vengeance." It was true, it wasn't Sasuke who killed Choji. Sasuke had only killed the elders, and harmed no other Konoha ninja. Shikamaru also understood that Sasuke's life had been hard, and many of his decisions were made for him before he had the chance to choose. He did blame Sasuke for his friend's death, but he no longer felt anger about it.

This was closure.

Maybe Sasuke wasn't as bad as he seemed.

"Many people blame you for the deaths of their family and friends."

"Hn."

"You'll have to address that if you wish to become a part of Konoha again."

"..Aa."

Shikamaru looked over the man across from him, eying him skeptically, "Do you even want to stay in Konoha?"

Sasuke almost smirked at how easily Shikamaru seemed to make him think. There was no doubt this man was the genius he was before, a worthy ANBU.

"It is all I have left."

That seemed to satisfy the other, because he fixed his mask, nodded and walked towards the main road again.

"Let's go get some coffee."

"Hn."

_._

_x_

_._

_x_

_._

_x_

_._

Sakura was sitting on Ino's leather sofa, sipping on her cup of hot coffee and rubbing her red and almost swollen eyes. Her best friend was laying on the floor, a bright yellow blanket pulled over her head.

"That was a great night," the blond said, though it was muffled by the floor.

Sakura chuckled, "My hangover says otherwise."

"Hangovers are proof of a good night, Forehead." Ino sat up, sitting cross-legged and facing Sakura. "Don't deny it, I saw you and Sasuke."

"Tch."

The pinkette sipped her coffee, deciding it best not to verify that with an answer.

"Admit it! You still like him."

Sakura shook her head, "I don't. He just destroyed our home, Ino. And regardless of that, I think he's hot, but he's got the emotional capacity of a ant."

Ino rolled her eyes.

"Aren't you mad at him about Choji?"

Sakura saw Ino's posture stiffen as the wheels turned in her friend's head. It was a few seconds before she answered, "No, I don't blame Sasuke. I blame Madara, mostly, I think."

"Do you miss him?"

Ino looked at her, cerulean eyes dull with sadness.

"Do you miss Sai?"

"Yes, but I don't think it's the same..You've known Choji since they made teams."

Ino laid back down, eyes on the ceiling, "Then, do you miss Kakashi?"

Sakura's eyes burned with tears at that. She didn't trust her voice, so she stayed quiet instead. She missed Kakashi more than she would ever be able to express in words. He had taught her everything she knew about being a ninja- he had basically taught her everything she knew about life. He had been the father she never really had.

It stayed quiet, and the pinkette didn't push the matter. She could feel the relief itching across the jutsu, and she wondered what Sasuke was doing. Could he remember much of last night? Because she barely could. There was _one_ thing that seemed brightly burned into her mind- Sasuke licking her wrist. It had to be a dream though, because the Uchiha would never do anything like that. She tried ignoring the fact that just thinking about it sent a shiver down her spine.

She thought back to Ino's statement. She _didn't _like Sasuke. The only good feelings she had for the boy were ones that hadn't seemed to die through the years, ones that stayed simply because of the history. But her childish infatuation _wasn't _one of those feelings that had stuck- that idiotic thing had died a whole ago.

It was perfectly normal for an adult woman to lust over an adult man.

Yes.

That was it, period.

The end.

Sakura Haruno _does not like _Sasuke Uchiha anymore.

…

Yeah. …...

_**Annoying.**_

The pinkette's heart squeezed tightly in her chest, emerald eyes narrowing as she forced a block up against _him_.

* * *

This chapter was focusing on showing the awkward relationship of Sasuke and Sakura, and basically how Sasuke really isn't interested in her at all... RIIGHT. After all, the truth always comes out when you're drunk, eh? Haha (: I also wanted to show that Sasuke _does_ feel some remorse about everything that happened, though he doesn't blame himself like the others. He more blames the choices everyone before him made that led to the consequences. We'll get more into the smutt soon, within the next two chapters (:

**review, please? (:**

-starry


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